Snakes in the Leaves
by Ifrit Morningstar
Summary: Sasuke was not the only one to turn his back on the Leaf. Now they will see the Tree of Konoha come crashing down on all who had wronged them...Dark Naruto/Hinata, special guest: Ayane. Sasuke/Ayane, Naru/Hina. Rated-M for very good reasons.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or Dead or Alive. This fanfiction is for the enjoyment of whoever wishes to read.

**A/N:** This fanfiction was a request of my co-writer's brother…who had just recently passed away in the call of duty for his country. He had asked me to write this before he left on assignment, and I plan to honor his wish and write this fanfiction in remembrance to him. Now if this is not your kind of story then please be respectful and not flame it; that is all I ask. He gave his life to protect his platoon, he was a man of honor and one to be remembered…so I ask that before you begin reading, please give a moment of silence to…

Special Forces: Jason Pendragon

He will never be forgotten by his loved ones and the men that he served with, may he watch over them as he did in life up in heaven's kingdom.

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

He stood upon the statue of his ancestor, the co-founder of the village had just forsaken in his pursuit for power, the great Uchiha Madara. He felt a familiar presence quickly approaching to this location. The moment would soon be upon him and his next great step toward his revenge would be taken. The person rushing to meet his fate had no idea of this plan, but he didn't care, all that mattered was the connection that needed to be severed in order to free himself of all ties to Konohagakure.

It had to be done.

That was what he kept telling himself over and over as the person drew nearer. He needed to become more than what he was and he could already feel the power awoken inside him thanks to the Cursed Seal. It was changing him, making him stronger where he felt the most weak: he wanted more!

"Sasuke!" the voice he had been expecting finally called out.

He kept his back to him, waiting for the fool's predictable speech about why he should give up on his quest, why he had to return to the village, that he shouldn't give himself up to Orochimaru.

Oddly, there was no reply after his name was said. This perked Uchiha Sasuke's curiosity and he turned to the only person he could consider his best friend out of anyone in his life, the one he secretly admitted was like a brother to him. What he expected was an outrageous look of betrayal, an image of confusion toward him, as he expected from his teammate. When he locked his narrowed eyes on him, his entire perspective of the loudest, knuckleheaded shinobi in the history of the world came to a crashing halt.

Before him was Uzumaki Naruto. The blonde-headed enigma with a passion for ramen that was almost unnatural was staring up at him with cold, dead eyes.

"Naruto?" Sasuke called to him, not completely sure if this was the same idiot he had known back in the academy, since they were put on a team together.

The blonde met his gaze and held it and took one step forward. "We need to talk."

Sasuke smirked, cocking his head to the side and chuckling arrogantly. He should have known. His teammate never changed. Here came the talk that he predicted that would lead to the epic conflict that needed to take place before he gave himself completely to his new master.

"There's nothing to say, Naruto…I've made up my mind. I will-!"

"I'm coming with you," Naruto stated sharply, cutting him off.

"W-What?" Sasuke uttered, not believing what he just heard. "Are you truly an idiot! Do you know what you just said?" He glared at Naruto with all the anger in his being. "You think you can just say that, after all that you've declared of becoming Hokage of that pathetic village?"

"It can go to hell!" Naruto roared, shocking the Uchiha even more.

"Naruto?" Sasuke uttered, looking closer at his teammate and gasped as he saw rage boil in crimson eyes.

"The village…it used me…everyone I thought that cared for me was using me!" Naruto shouted in anger. "They kept me dumb to keep me tamed so that I'd be easier to control...I'm nothing more than a weapon to them!"

"What? What are you talking about, Naruto?" Sasuke asked, not at all understanding what was going on with the gaki.

"Sasuke…there was a secret in our village, one that was ranked SS, and if anyone of the old generation were to reveal it to the young, they would be arrested for treason or killed," Naruto said, he touched his stomach. "The night that the Yondaime killed the Kyuubi, it was all a lie. He never killed it, he sealed it…in a newborn that could hold the fox's malicious chakra…I was that child, Sasuke! The Yondaime…my father, sealed the fox in his only son to protect the village, and wished me to be seen as a hero…" Naruto started barking out in heated laughter. "…And you know what happened, you saw it all, didn't you? All those cold stares, all the whispers from the adults when I was around…they were all calling me a monster behind my back."

"Wait? You have the Kyuubi sealed inside you?" Sasuke awed, finally making sense of the strange gap in power between them.

Naruto was a Jinchuuriki!

A jailor for one of the nine Bijuu, and he had the strongest one of all, the Nine-Tailed Fox!

"So…that's your secret, Naruto…You've been using the fox's powers all this time," Sasuke said curtly.

"Not all the time," Naruto corrected. "The only times I've ever used the fox's powers were when we confronted Haku in Wave Country and when I faced Gaara when Sound invaded during the Chunin exam. I wasn't even allowed to know I held the fox growing up, Sasuke. The Sandaime…lied to me about my parents, he lied about everything he told me…he said never knew my parents, that I was just another orphan from the casualties after the Kyuubi attacked. HE LIED ABOUT MY DREAMS!" Red chakra started to cloak around Naruto, for once willingly letting himself be ruled by his rage. "He fed me with ideas he believed would keep me under control, like my dream of being Hokage…but then he willingly let my education be sabotage by the Academy instructors, so that I would always remain his loyal, dependable weapon when he needed it."

"Naruto, how do you know this? How do I know you are telling me truth and this isn't just some trick and pack of lies?" Sasuke demanded, flaring his Sharingan.

"Because my family was the biggest conspirators," a somewhat soft and fragile voice stated behind Naruto.

Sasuke jumped down from the statue, and as he landed, a girl with pale eyes stepped out from behind Naruto. He remember this girl, she was the Hyuga heiress, Hinata, who was defeated by her cousin in the preliminary match in the Forest of Death. Last time he saw her, she looked so frail and weak. But now her usual timid face was twisted with cold contempt.

"My clan had much to gain if they played along with the Sandaime's agenda," Hinata revealed. "It was just by chance that I overheard. Everyone in my clan overlooks me and forgets I exist…so they say things around me, things they should have been more careful with."

"What did the Hyuga have to gain from this?" Sasuke asked.

"Mainly to keep using the Caged Bird Seal on the branch members," Hinata answered. "The Yondaime had actually came up with a technique to remove the seal, and was going to forbid my clan from ever using the seal again…but the Sandaime approved of the usage. He willingly destroyed all evidence of the technique in exchange of total obedience from the Hyugas, and to top the deal, he gave them all of Naruto's inheritance. Everything should have gone to Naruto was given to my father and the elders to keep their mouth shut." She grabbed Naruto's arm, hugging it and resting her head on his shoulder. "I could not let this go unknown…I-I had to tell Naruto."

Naruto patted her hand and then looked at Sasuke. "I know this is sudden, but then you deciding to leave Konoha like you did was sudden, too."

"So…what do you plan on doing?" Sasuke wondered.

"We both decided we cannot stay in Konoha anymore," Naruto replied. "I have nothing there and never will so long as the council has any say about my future."

"What about the new Hokage? She doesn't strike me as the type of person to agree to go along with this plan," Sasuke said, rubbing his chin in thought.

"…She's just become Hokage. Anything she could have done is too late to fix," Naruto said, looking down and feeling another roll of anger through his being. "The council has already seen to that, and I know they'll just keep forcing Tsunade to pick the village over me every time. She's just gonna be another figurehead to use…and I can't do anything about it!"

"Naruto, you can't blame yourself for that," Hinata said.

"I can. I'm the one that convinced her to become the next Hokage…That's something I'll have to bare always, but now, I no longer want anything to do with Konoha…not after everything they've done," Naruto stated, bringing his head back up. "I want revenge, Sasuke! You gotta understand that! I want them to pay for what they've taken from my family!"

That struck a chord in Sasuke. He never in his life ever expected this of all things to happen. What was he supposed to do? He knew Orochimaru would want him, but what would happen if he brought these two with him? What would the Sannin do to them while he gained the power he so craved? When he began to analyze the situation he started to see this would work. Hinata would be accepted because of her dojutsu, one of the most guarded and sought after Kekki Genkai, would be a nice bonus for any village to have. She would be tempting enough with that alone for the Snake-user to take into his fold. As for the Naruto…he wasn't too sure, considering the battle they last had together…even if he was the Jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox, he had bad history with Orochimaru and there was no telling how he'd react if he saw Naruto with him.

As if reading his mind, Naruto stepped up to him. "I know it's a gamble…"

"You do know that he'll just use you as tools, or worse, he may try to experiment on you and the Kyuubi," Sasuke said uncharactiscally.

"...I'll deal with that if it happens," Naruto stated as he stated to take his Hitai-ate off his forehead, then with his own nail, which looked more like a claw, he slashed it across the metal and then dropped it on the ground.

Hinata took hers off a well, taking out a kunai and slashing hers, and dropping it next to Naruto's. She then looked up at Sasuke and offered him his kunai.

"If you truly are going to leave, then you do not need that symbol on your forehead anymore," Hinata stated.

Sasuke reached into his pocket and withdrew his hitai-ate. He glared at it for a moment and then took the offered kunai and made a slash over the spiraled leaf, then dropped it next to theirs.

"Let's see what happens then, hmm?" Sasuke said as he and his two unexpected companions turned their backs on the discarded hitai-ates and leapt into air and vanished.

Sometime later, a man with grey, gravity-defying hair appeared in the area. This was the last spot his summon Pakkon, a dog, trailed Sasuke's and Naruto's scent. He sniffed the area and his small, bored eyes lit up in alarm.

"Kakashi! Another person was here with Sasuke and Naruto!" Pakkon said in alarm.

"Tell me what he scent is!" Kakashi ordered quickly.

"It's like lavender, only with a hint of lilies," Pakkon tried to described. "…And oddly, I'm picking up a faint smell of cinnamon."

Those really didn't give him much to go on, but it was something. As he and the dog searched the area, they discovered three abandoned hitai-ates. Seeing the slash marks on them, he began to panic at the meaning of them and what just happened.

"….No, Naruto…why?" Kakashi uttered softly as he clutched the hitai-ates in his hand.

"You don't mean…" Pakkon left it unfinished.

Kakashi sighed painfully, clutching at his head and trying to stop the tears that started to pour from his visible eye. "...Yes, Pakkon…Naruto AND Sasuke abandoned the village."

"But who was the third?" Pakkon wondered.

"Hmm, I have a suspicion," Kakashi replied, remembering the scent description. "Lilies are the common fragrance around the Hyuga compound…and there was only one Hyuga I know that would also smell of Lavender and Cinnamon…Hinata."

"What? You mean the heiress of the Hyuga clan? W-Why would she abandon her home, too!" Pakkon gasped out.

"…I can think of many reasons, and all of them are rightfully justifiable for her to leave," Kakashi answered and tucked the last evidence of his two students and the heiress's connection to Konoha into his vest.

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><p>In some part of Tea Country, in one of the many hidden headquarters of Sound, the trio walked in the darken tunnels, led by an older boy with grey hair and wore round-spectacled glasses. The older boy smirked as he glanced once more over his shoulder at the odd group following him. The hallway they walked through looked more like a jail, each cell filled with a poor, deprived person that was captured and imprisoned for the many, horrifying experiments that took place.<p>

"Ku, ku, ku! This is a surprise, especially with you, Naruko-san," Kabuto jeered.

The blonde Jinchuuriki remained impassive, as if he didn't hear Kabuto at all.

The medic-nin sneered hatefully at him. He still was somewhat limping from their last encounter. It wounded his pride that such a pathetic gaki like him had managed to hurt him with such a powerful technique. Now, for that same gaki to treat him like he was his better, just because he walked with the Uchiha…that would not stand. He was tempted to strike the blonde down, let him choke on his own blood before he healed him just so he could inflict more pain on him, but the dead-angry glare from the blonde's red eyes stopped him in his tracks when he thought to use his chakra scalpel. It worried him that he was almost relieved to get away from the Uzumaki brat when he finally brought them before a man whose head was almost entirely wrapped in bandages and wearing a simple black kimono.

"My lord…Sasuke…and company have arrived safely," Kabuto alerted the man.

The bandaged man stared with his one uncovered eye at the trio, not at all able to hide the shock in it when he spotted the Uzumaki boy and the heiress of the Hyuga clan.

"What is the meaning of this, Sasuke-kun? My invitation was only for you!" Orochimaru demanded coldly, even in his recovering state, his voice still carried its powerful malice.

"They wanted revenge," Sasuke stated simply. "And they'll need power for that, so I let them come with me."

"That wasn't for you to decide," Orochimaru started to reprimand, but then halted when Naruto stepped forward.

"If you'll allow me to explain myself…" He said, playing it smart by keeping his eyes lowered to the ground.

"…Careful, boy. I still remember the trouble you have me in our last battle," Orochimaru hissed, but nodded. "Out of curiosity, I'll let you speak."

"Thank you, Lord Orochimaru," Naruto said, having to force himself to not spit as he used the honorable title, he never was one to use such formalities, ever. It just left a bad taste in his mouth every time. Keep his head lowered, he began. "I learned the truth that the Sandaime had kept hidden from me since I was born. He had no plan of letting me fulfill my dream….and was actually hampering my education so that I could be better controlled by him. I hate him…I hate everything he stands for because he was nothing more than a hypocrite, the worst kind. He dreamt of a better tomorrow when really he was just looking out for himself and his station of power…I want to see everything he stood for burn around me!"

Orochimaru was amazed with the raw rage in the boy's voice, surprised by how much it matched his own anger toward his dead sensei. He smirked at this behavior and was secretly very pleased with this turnout.

"And what of your 'sensei', Jiraiya? Don't you hold any allegiance to him?" Orochimaru inquired.

"You mean the man that was supposed to be my godfather?" Naruto uttered heatedly.

Kabuto looked up sharply at his master, who met his gaze before it narrowed in amusement.

"Yes, him…why have you abandoned his teachings?" Orochimaru pressed.

"Because I won't become what I want under his tutelage. He'll only do what the village wants me to know. It was out of pity and remembrance to my father that made him teach me the Rasengan and let me sign the Toad contract…which before I left Konoha I canceled, as I did not want any of the toads to track me and give your base away," Naruto answered. "He wasn't going to teach me what I really needed, he just saw me like everyone else did, just the vessel of the Kyuubi."

"Ku, ku, ku! Excellent!" Orochimaru chuckled. "This is quite extraordinary! So the weapon of Konoha has decided to turn on them. You've made the right choice, Naruto-kun! I will make you a better weapon than what they had planned…Yes, I'll make you what that fool of a teammate could never do!" His chuckling slowly to a halt when he addressed the Hyuga. "Now you…you're a real mystery. Why would the heiress of the prestigious Hyuga clan come to me?"

"I am here of my own free will, I desire power and revenge. You Orochimaru-sama should know that better than anyone. After Sarutobi didn't choose you for Hokage, you must have wanted revenge. I need revenge on my Clan ...on my father." Suddenly Hinata's aura shifts to pure hatred. Orochimaru is intrigued by her malic, a chakra so sinister that it rivals Uchiha Madara and the Kyuubi pure hatred was coming from the gentle shy Hyuga girl. "Konoha has wronged us all some more than most." Hinata hatred increased as she thinks of what Konoha did to Naruto. "They must suffer; feel the wraith of the hebi."

"My…my…my, what evil fruit Konoha's tree had sewn," Orochimaru grinned to himself darkly. "This is a day to remember, for all three of you…you have taken your first true step toward your desires…come, we have much to do, so very much to do, indeed!" He turned from them, but not before giving Sasuke a lingering look. _'My future is in this child…and his comrades will give me more power than I dreamed of!'_

Wordlessly, the three followed their new master into the darkening tunnel, neither of them paying any mind to the suffering moans or pleas for help from the countless prisoners locked away. Each one set their eyes forward into the darkness that slowly crawled around them, blanketing around them until they all disappeared into the shadows.


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or Dead or Alive. This fanfiction is for the enjoyment of whoever wishes to read.

**A/N: **We're both glad that everyone has been so positive with this fanfiction so far. As reward, here's the latest chapter for it, and we hope that you like this one even better.

**))))))))))**

**Chapter 1**

It never changed. The looks in their eyes. Even after almost three years under the service and harsh, nightmarish training of his Lord Orochimaru; the hatred in their eyes never dimmed or changed. He tried himself to wipe that determined look out of their eyes, using pain and fear tactics just to show them how pathetic they really were. But every time, they surpassed their suffering and moved on from it, with that same, damn annoying look in their eyes. His lord finally ordered him to stop his feeble attempts, not wishing to waste time with pointless distractions.

He wanted his new tools to be left whole.

Their combined anger was to his liking and proven far too useful to risk their deaths...for the current time. Sasuke had grown predictably powerful, as it was to be expected for the next vessel of his master, who would not suffer anything inferior. The Uchiha had shown he was a true prodigy, something he respected, even if he didn't like the spoiled brat. The other two were much more surprising. He figured Naruto would be the biggest pain, and hoped that he would upset Orochimaru enough to make the gaki die very horribly. But the irritating blonde showed he had been hiding his true potential from everyone. His mind was sharper than a kunai and had shown he actually was blessed with a photographic memory. Everything that was thrown at him, the boy remembered and executed near perfect after just a few tries. That is, all of this was discovered once it was learned that someone had placed an Inhibitor Seal directly on the blonde's neck.

The seal was designed to subtlety disrupt normal brainwave functions. It slowed it down and would send counter waves to disrupt those responsible for short and long-term memory, making whoever had the seal have a difficult time remembering anything. It also affected the nervous system, blocking and speeding up certain nerves that would leave one restless and unfocused.

But that wasn't the only seal that was found on the blonde-gaki.

Someone had also placed a Termination Seal in the middle of his back, just behind the core of his Chakra coils. Were it activated, the seal would force a massive overload through the coils and burn them out, instantly killing the person.

Such a seal was commonly used for executions of shinobi prisoners sentenced to death in Konoha who had committed the foulest crimes against it. It would have been the perfect seal to use on a Jinchuuriki as with the lack of a chakra network, the Bijuu sealed within could do nothing to heal its host, until it and its host died. It wasn't shocking how the Uzumaki boy reacted when he learned he had such seals placed on him…they had to completely abandon their secret base in the northern area of Tea Country. After the blonde's angry rampage, they feared any Konoha spies that may have picked the blonde's chakra signal to report it back to Konoha, and because the gaki left the place totally ruined.

From that point on, Orochimaru had made an order for all his men and staff to never anger the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. He could not risk another explosive episode again; for security reasons and financial ones.

He was amazed afterward how fast the boy learned; taking everything he gave him and employed it into his training sessions. One time, the blonde actually struck a blow that left Orochimaru limping the next day after a training spar. The Snake Sannin also was starting to show some odd behavior around his apprentices. He actually was less likely to kill a random minion that displeased him. Rather, he would force them to spar against his three apprentices if they continued to upset him for whatever task they failed to do. Sometimes when he laughed, it was an actual laugh rather than a condescending one. Kabuto never dared remark on these slight changes of behavior; he wouldn't still be alive if he didn't recognize what would get him killed and what wouldn't. He believed one of the reasons he enjoyed having the blonde around was because he managed to push Sasuke further than what he predicted. The two had an unquestionable rivalry, and because of that, the two pushed each other to do better. In his lord's eyes, this only served to his goal of making the perfect vessel once he was ready to possess Sasuke's body.

Now as for Hinata. She was untouchable.

Since she had forsaken her Hyuga lineage, the girl had become a terror that would have given the late Tayuya of the Sound Four a run for her money. At first, Kabuto had planned to use the girl as leverage against her two comrades, as at the time he believed she was the weakest link from the information he gathered on her during the chunin exam. All of that was blown out the window when he had sent some of Sound jonin to rough her up to send a message to Naruto and Sasuke. They were reported dead when their corpses were found littering the living quarters for the genin. Every one of them was killed by strange burnt holes scattered over their bodies, two of them were missing limbs that appeared to have been slashed off. After Orochimaru had personally studied the remains he figured the girl had developed her own version of the chakra scalpel. When he ordered her to demonstrate the technique, allowing her to kill some random minions that were unlucky enough to be near him that moment, she unleashed her personal technique, leaving everyone speechless in horror, save for the Snake Sannin himself, who started smiling evilly at the power behind such a vicious technique. She had sharpened her chakra to a fine blade and made a barrier around herself, exploiting her natural flexibility and her Kekki Genkai, through her palms, revealing the technique also increased her speed immensely, right to the point you could no longer see her arms move.

It was considered an absolute defense, but more. While the technique was being used, nothing could get past the wall of chakra blades, rendering whatever was caught in them to pieces in seconds, proving it had great offensive capabilities along with defensive. Sasuke had tried using his clan's favorite fire-jutsu to break through it, but her technique easily brushed the flames away from her like it was nothing. Kabuto thought he could devise something to counter past this 'absolute defense' if he kept to long range. But once again, she proved her skills when one Sound jonin had tried to use long range to fight her; truthfully, the only smart tactic when fighting a Hyuga. Yet, she found a way around her clan's basic weakness when she used a new technique that allowed her to _fire_ chakra needle-like projectiles at her opponent., and with her Byakugan, given her perfect precision when throwing these needles, she could render an opponent as helpless and surprised long enough to move in and finish them off with her basic attacks.

It was impressive and was enough to please Orochimaru, who had his misconceptions about taking the Hyuga girl under his tutelage. She had proven to have a natural talent with her clan's techniques and improved on them to fit her style. Thus, making her one of his new favorite tools…and making it harder for Kabuto to mess with.

Sasuke was by default hands off. He was too important to his lord to try anything that might ruin his plans with the boy's body. He had to admit he was amazed at how adaptable the Uchiha was with the Cursed Seal, showing he had a natural mental defense against its corrosive side-effect that normally warped the user's personality to a wild killer. He was shaping nicely to become the next body for Orochimaru, being given the summoning contract with the Snakes after his second year of training with the Sannin. It surprised him that he even offered it to Naruto and Hinata, but both refused the contract, having the wisdom to foresee they could not work with the snakes or use their personal style of jutsu.

With the way they were shaping, Kabuto assumed once Orochimaru had taken over Sasuke, he would make Naruto and Hinata his new personal bodyguards, as the Sound Four once were. That would not be favorable for him…

"Sir! Naruto and Hinata have just returned!" an Oto jonin alerted Kabuto, bringing the medic-nin out of his musings from the paperwork he was idly filling out for his lord.

"So? What's so urgent that you are bothering me?" Kabuto demanded in a tone that many knew to think carefully before speaking or suffer greatly.

"Sir! They manage to bring back a body with them, a perfectly intact one," the Oto said quickly, knowing that would be enough to keep the grey-haired youth from killing him…today.

"What?" Kabuto sat up sharply from his desk.

"They have the body down in laboratory twelve with the body, awaiting for your inspection," the Oto said, averting his eyes down from his in submissiveness.

"Hmm, so they actually managed to get one?" Kabuto mused.

Since Sasuke and his two companions made their great exodus from Konoha, there had been an increase of Anbu searching the outskirts of the lands. But as of the last year, a new form of tactics had been implemented by the Leaf. All the Anbu they had encountered wore blank masks, and whenever one of them was on the verge of being killed or knew they were going to lose, they activated some kind a suicide-seal, pulling the body in a black void, and anything near it within a thirty foot radius and crushed the victims along with the dead Anbu, leaving no traces of their existence, save for liquid flesh and giant amounts of blood. It had been a headache for them as they could not gain any foreknowable about the strange Anbu, or even gain any advantage with the remains of their bodies.

But now it would seem they finally would get some answers, begrudgingly thanks to the annoying blonde and the Hyuga girl.

"Excellent, get back to your duties. I will handle the matter immediately," Kabuto stated, waving for the Oto jonin to leave, which the man did without another word.

After quickly making his way to the lab. When he arrived, he found the two responsible for the capture of the body standing by an examination table where the body was laid out for him.

Sensing his arrival, a tall, long blonde-haired teenager turned his head slightly, exposing the three, rather dark whisker-like markings on his cheek and feral eyes, which always seemed to shift from cerulean to crimson. Unlike other members of Oto, the blonde did not wear any of the traditional clothing for Oto-nin. In defiance, he chose to wear a black coat with a red swirl on the back and on the left arm-sleeve, with an orange battle-vest and red sash around and black baggy pants.

The heiress stuck to her baggy clothes, a lavender jacket and pants, but underneath it, he knew she wore a tight-body suit to ease the flow of her clothes and body. Kabuto believed she wore the baggy clothing to hide the marvelous physique the girl possessed. As her family lineage had blessed her with a voluptuous beauty, it made her a common target for the more sexual-driven jonin; she was an idol they would all wish to claim.

Sadly, none of them could touch the girl with her formidable skills, and of course, Naruto himself…

The gaki had proven to be quite possessive of the girl. Whenever someone had the mistake of making a sexual comment or cynical jeer at her, that person would soon find themselves painting the wall with a well-aimed Rasengan. The blasted jutsu was so feared by all the men, that some had mentioned they'd rather be experimented on than be used for target practice for the blonde. And if it wasn't already a deadly jutsu, the blonde actually IMPROVED it!

Orochimaru had one day commented on the Rasengan, being a genius that he was, he was able to spot that the jutsu was incomplete, but his master was wise not to tell the gaki how it could be made complete…that is until the blasted boy came up to the Snake Sannin and questioned him if adding an elemental affinity would work. He never saw a more wicked smile on the pale man's face; he even seemed to enjoy how Naruto found the answers so quickly when given a challenge. It worried him that Orochimaru might even consider given Naruto his position as second-in-command. That would never happen so long as he could help it. He fought and trained hard to gain his rank and he would never settle for anything less, no matter what. It was just a matter of time before he dealt with the annoying boy and his girl, but that was still a long while away.

"Ah, I see you brought me something to play with," Kabuto greeted them.

The blonde just narrowed his eyes and turned his frightening gaze back to the corpse, and then spoke in a calm yet rough voice. "The seal I constructed to suppress the suicide-seal worked, as predicted. It's actually a nice piece of work." He reached into the dead nin's mouth and pulled the tongue out enough to expose a seal on it, then raised the shirt up to reveal another seal. "I found this one after we secured the body long enough to examine it," he said, wiggling the tongue. "It seemed whoever this man worked for didn't wish for them to reveal his secrets while they lived."

"Obviously, Konoha has grown very paranoid over the years," Kabuto surmised, moving closer to the body and examining the two seals for himself, focusing on the seal on the chest. "Hmm, this one is actually an old seal used back in the First Shinobi War, it was outlawed by all the first Kages of each village as because of the high collateral damage it could cause…I guess Konoha has finally stopped playing by petty rules." He looked over the body once, and then said, "Where's your seal, Naruto?"

The blonde let go of the tongue and yanked the head up, revealing a tiny spiraled-styled seal on the back of the man's neck. "He was the last one in his squad. We succeeded in sneaking up on him and placing the seal on him before he could activate it. He had let his guard down when he leapt away from his dead teammates to avoid being pulled into their bodies, which was when I slapped this on him."

"The death blow came from me. You'll find the chakra pathways around his heart are severed," Hinata spoke in a cold, flat-toned voice, handing him the report of the mission to Kabuto, which she had been filling out while waiting for him to arrive.

He took and read the report quickly. "Hmm, this will do. You can leave now. I'm sure Sasuke will want his _buddies_ nearby." He thought he had the last laugh. What neither of them realized while they were out on their mission was that Sasuke had been called to Orochimaru's chambers…to begin the possession procedure of his body.

Naruto and Hinata let the jab go, moving at the same time and left the lab to allow Kabuto to work on the body. But what the medic-nin should have realized was the sinister grin that appeared on Naruto's face as he departed…

An hour later, Kabuto decided to see the progress on the master's possession. He could not wait to see the grief in Naruto's eyes after he witnesses seeing his best friend gone and their master wearing his body. It would be the first real sign of where his place was in the grand scheme; just another tool of their master's will, and the Hyuga would also suffer as he knew anything that pained the blonde would leave her aching, too. It was a shallow victory to be sure, but it was the start of more to come.

He was so immersed in his fantasy that he did not realize something was amiss until his foot splashed into something wet and warm…

"What?" Kabuto uttered before looking up and seeing a spiky, brunette teenager standing over what looked like the remains of a dead giant white-snake. The brunette wore a long white sleeved shirt with blue pants and a blue cloth wrapped around his waist, with a purple rope tied in a bow, acting like a belt around his waist and holding the sheath of a sword behind him. He raised his gaze up to the medic and looked at him questionably.

"Kabuto…?" the teenager uttered.

Kabuto was unsure. He saw the giant white snake's body beginning to molt and die, signifying that the ritual had taken place…but who was in control?

The teenager started walking toward him, sheathing the sword he had in his hand back into its proper place, and seemingly walked right past Kabuto.

"Just who…" Kabuto started to say and paused as he turned his head to be greeted by Sharingan eyes. "…Are you?"

"Who do you think?" Sasuke smirked arrogantly and his eyes started to spin. In a matter of moments, he revealed the truth of what had happened in that room, how he was trapped in the dimension in which Orochimaru controlled, where all the souls he had suppressed and imprisoned in his warped, nightmarish realm…and how Sasuke's will was causing it all to crumble. And to his horror, he saw his master's last moments in life fade away.

"Orochimaru is dead…?" Kabuto gasped in fear, but then shuddered all over. "Wait…it's more like!"

Sasuke smiled very calmly and cold. "I've taken over…"

And with that, Sasuke turned his back to the medic and started to depart, leaving the second-in-command of Otogakure for the first time in his life…completely afraid. It was a moment that he would never forget. But that moment quickly changed when a loud series of explosions ricocheted throughout the underground base.

"W-What?" Kabuto uttered in confusion, trying to access what was going on, but then his sharp mind instantly put the clues together. "Damn that blasted gaki and that bitch! This was their plan all from the beginning!" He snarled in fury and dashed into the chamber. There was only one option now. He had to do what he might in order to survive and he would need every advantage he could obtain. Taking out his field-pack, he quickly kneeled down by the dead giant snake. "This is my only chance to make something more of myself...Orochimaru, you carried me this far." He took his tools into his hand and began operating on the corpse. "Now you will make me more than what I am…and no one will rule me ever again!"

_**))))))))))**_

They waited patiently for him just outside the base, watching the rubble of the base fall in on itself, hopefully killing all the Oto-nin who hadn't gotten to the exits in time. So far everything had gone as the three of them planned. They used Orochimaru long enough until he was at his weakest, when his body could no longer contain his soul and turn on itself. Once he was at the point where he was weak from his condition, Sasuke would overwhelm him and kill him and absorb his power. They had spent every moment they could when they were alone, silently communicating in coded sentences and certain gestures, so as to not allow anyone learn their true goal. In those times, they had secretly spied on Orochimaru, learned his habits and his secrets and it wasn't long until they learned exactly how the Body Possession Jutsu worked…and how it could be used against him. Sasuke knew he was the only one that could accomplish this task with his eyes, having fully mastered them over the short two and half years they worked for Oto.

When he realized that he could turn the jutsu on the Snake Sannin and take his powers, they quickly began to speed up their operation. Once Sasuke had Orochimaru's powers, they would then begin their first task that they all agreed on: the elimination of Uchiha Itachi. Naruto and Hinata had agreed the first night that they spent in Oto that they would do all in their power to help Sasuke complete his mission, in thanks of his trust in them and taking them with him. Once they had fulfilled that task, then they could focus all their energy on the next step…

"Used enough explosives, dobe?" Sasuke suddenly said, appearing next to them from out of nowhere.

The two immediately sensed the change in their teammate, the power that now pooled from him was astonishing.

Naruto smirked at his best friend. "Heh, there's never enough explosives, teme."

Sasuke scoffed at him. "Whatever, let's get a move on before the ground breaks under us."

"Yeah, the last thing we need is to be caught off GUUUUAAAAAAARRR!" Naruto suddenly screamed as the ground beneath him gave way.

"Oh for Kami's sake," Sasuke grumbled under his breath, glaring at the crevice that the blonde had fallen into.

Hinata just sighed and without another thought jumped down into the hole to retrieve her man. Sasuke had to admit his friend was far luckier in ways than he didn't realize. To have such a girl like Hinata at his side and can actually put up with him! Even he acknowledged the catch that she had become as they grew, but he still could not see what she saw in the idiot.

"Sasuke! You need to see this!" Hinata suddenly called up from the crevice.

Alarmed by the distress in her voice, Sasuke leapt down inside the crevice and landed in a room, and then gawked in amazement when he realized it was a laboratory chamber. He normally wouldn't have cared as he and his teammates had been in a number of labs for various reasons, but this one was far different than any of them. For one, according to the map of the base they had studied, this lab shouldn't be here! What made it so shocking was that the entire room seemed to be focused to maintain a large cylinder containment unit standing erect in the center. The power was flickering on and off due to the disruption of the destruction. The unit in the lab began to hiss and make noises as whatever was contained inside was being drained of the fluid preserving it.

"Sasuke, look closer! There's a girl in there!" Naruto said quickly.

Sasuke looked sharply at the unit, realizing for the first time that there was indeed a human girl inside.

"Hmm, probably one of Orochimaru's pet projects…" Sasuke regarded offhandedly. "Come on, we can't waste any time with her…"

The lab shook from one of the last explosions finally break away the foundation of the tunnel systems, sending a shockwave rocking into them. The glass chamber of the unit started to crack rapidly and shatter. To Sasuke's eyes it all happened in slow motion. The girl that was trapped inside fell face forward just as the glass broke and scattered over the ground. The girl had no clothes, no protection of any kind, as she fell unaware down on the large dangerous shards.

There was a moment in his life when his boy reacted on instinct against his better judgment. That time was when he had put himself in front of Naruto when they were being attacked by a fake Mist hunter-nin, taking the barrage of senbons meant for him. He still had no idea why his body did that, it just moved like that to protect his teammate. He figured it was a fluke, just an impulsive reaction to the moment.

That same moment just happened again.

His body was instantly under the girl as she fell, his arms catching her before she fell face-first and sliced up to death by the shards of glass. He gapped in wonder at his own actions, staring at the unconscious girl's face in surprise. The girl started to move at that moment, regaining consciousness for who knew how long. She shifted her head to him as her eyes fluttered open and Sasuke took in a sharp breath of air. The pair of eyes that greeted him had three tomoes shaped like a shuriken around her iris. Yet instead of a familiar crimson red, it was a dark purple. She blinked her eyes to get the remaining fluids still rolling off her, and the tomoes shifted to normal three tomoes, and then after another blink, they were gone. She coughed some and clung to Sasuke, shivering from the cold. He unconsciously hugged her and reached up a hand to brush some wet lavender shaded hair off her face.

"W-Was…w-as I need-ded?" she whispered up at Sasuke, then fell back to sleep; no doubt to the drugs used to keep her under still running there course in her body.

Getting over his shock, Sasuke moved her away from the glass covered ground and back to his silent teammates. Hinata moved to him, peeling out of her heavy jacket and throwing it over the naked girl to give her some modesty.

"We need to go…what's the call with her?" Naruto asked.

"…This girl…I saw the Sharingan in her eyes," Sasuke alerted his teammates.

They both gasped and stared at the girl. The only gave each other a silent look and understand immediately what the other was thinking.

"Let's take her with us for now," Naruto said. "We can worry about answers after we get clear of here."

Sasuke nodded somewhat dumbly.

"Naruto, you carry her. You can still move fast with a heavy load," Hinata instructed.

"Hai…Sasuke?" Naruto said, moving to take the girl but waited for a moment for his friend to return to earth.

The Uchiha forced himself to get a grip and quickly handed over the girl to Naruto, still not believing what he saw. He glanced over his shoulder at the ruined unit and glared hatefully at it. _'Just what were you doing here, Orochimaru? Damn you! Even after I kill you, you still found a way to make me despise you more!'_

They hastily left the lab, leaping up through the crevice in the ceiling and fled into the surrounding forest. Hinata guided them through, alerting them where to move to avoid running into remaining Oto-nin who were running for their lives. It would have been easy to dispatch anyone they did come across, but they did not need to leave a trail of any kind for anyone to follow, especially Kabuto if he survived getting out of the base, which was too likely. That man was almost as sneaky as Orochimaru and just as devious. And it was thanks to Hinata that they found a cave hiding behind a waterfall to make camp.

When they were safely behind the waterfall, Hinata pulled out a spar set of clothes from her storage seal and started to dress the girl properly. Sasuke and Naruto busied themselves with studying a map, planning out the best area to begin their search for his infamous brother. After she had the girl dressed appropriately, she risked making a fire to help warm the girl and started fixing food. It was another hour when the mysterious girl started to move, most likely at the scent of food from the fire. She once again flustered her eyes open and blinked them until all the blurriness cleared up.

"W-Where am I?" she said in soft voice.

"You're out of Orochimaru's base," Hinata answered her question calmly.

"What happened? Was I called upon to fulfill my first mission?" she asked.

"First mission? You mean you've never left that base?" Hinata said in shock.

"…Yes," she replied, looking at all her surroundings in awe. "This is my first time around real natural rock-formation. I have always only seen the endless carved tunnels of my home."

"Things have changed. The ba…your home is no more," Hinata revealed, fixing a bowl of rice and sprinkling some healthy herbs over it. "And also, Orochimaru is dead…does that concern you?"

"Not really," the girl said blankly, still looking around at the cave. "This is place is nice."

Hinata smiled at that. It was not surprising that the fate of the Snake Sannin would have been overlooked. No one had any love for that sick man and those that he enslaved and experimented on had only utter hatred for the madman.

"Do you have a name?" Hinata pressed gently.

"….Umm, I think I do," she said, hugging her knees to her chest and pondered for a moment. "I haven't used a name in a long time…I think I was called, umm…Ayane! Yes, that was the name I heard everyone use around me."

Hinata smiled as pleasant as she could, the kind she usually only reserved for her beloved Naruto. "Ayane, that is a nice name. My name is Hyuga Hinata." She pointed at her man. "That is my boyfriend, Uzumaki Naruto. Our friend with the brooding expression is Uchiha Sasuke."

"Uchiha?" Ayane murmured, tilting her head in thought as that name sounded familiar to her.

"You do know the Uchiha, right?" Sasuke said, having overheard everything they talked about.

"Nope, can't recall anything from that name," Ayane said, but then added, "But it does sound familiar."

"What exactly were you meant for?" Sasuke demanded lightly.

"Meant for? You mean what mission I was waiting for?" Ayane asked, receiving a nod from the Uchiha. "Hmm, I don't remember all the details; just that I think I was meant to kill someone."

This perked Sasuke's interest. "Who were you meant to kill?"

"Dunno, the last memory I have before going to sleep was that I was to await the time when I would be called worth to kill someone for Orochimaru…someone that he couldn't kill himself," Ayane stated, racking her brain for anything that might seem important, not caring in the least that she might be giving away vital information. The pale man was dead and she was outside now…that was all that mattered.

"Hmm, so the Snake had a backup plan in case things didn't work out so well," Sasuke murmured.

"Sounds like him. So it was good that we turned on him when we did," Naruto said, narrowing his eyes some and slumped against the cold, stone wall. "If we hadn't, he'd have had us killed after he realized he couldn't possess you."

"No I think it's more than that…to kill someone he couldn't," Sasuke said, toying with the words until he could find the truth of their meaning. "He wanted the Sharingan but he had this girl the whole time, something doesn't add up. If he had her to, why would he still want to possess my body?" He started to pace some, then spoke to Ayane. "What else do you remember? Were you always in that base?"

"Yes, I don't remember ever leaving it, just all the dark tunnels and men that kept me away from the exits," Ayane said, her tone finally breaking from its eerie calm to a saddened one. "I've always been curious about the world outside…I just wanted to see what it was like, but I was never allowed, why I was forced to sleep. Orochimaru didn't wish to keep worrying about me getting out, so he had me sleep whenever he had no time for me…"

"Sick bastard," Naruto snarled, balling one hand in a first while the other subconsciously rubbed a spot on his right arm.

During their first year under the Snake's tutelage, he had been subject to some of the experiments he performed on all his people. Some of them were monstrous and downright agonizing to put he thought he'd go mad, but he survived, and sickeningly enough, he was made stronger by all the torture. One experiment, though, was the Snake's own failure in the making. Had the so-called genius of the Sannin realized the fatal error in his decision to perform it, he might not have given Naruto the very thing would make him a threat to all who challenged him…

His gaze lingered to Hinata, who also seemed to be remembering the horrifying trials she also went through because of Orochimaru. She had been subjected to the same fate as he was, a risky procedure that may have been the death of them, but luckily, it was a success.

He still remembered hearing her screams when she was put under the scalpel like he was; how powerless he felt when she was put through that hell. He vowed after that procedure that she would never be used like that again and that he would kill whoever touched her wrong. Everyone just thought he was just possessive of his girl, but it was because of the fear he had of hearing her suffering like she had because of someone.

Sasuke cleared his throat, pulling his teammates out of their past painful memories and back to the current situation. "We've all been through it, only thing that matters is that we continue as we planned."

"Right," they both said, wanting to focus on their main objective than relive those horrid memories.

"Ayane, you were unexpected, but I know the Sharingan when I see it, and you possess it," Sasuke stated flatly, he didn't state just how far advanced it looked, not wishing to allow this girl to believe she had the stronger set of eyes. There was no telling what this girl would do now that she was free of Orochimaru's control, she may even become a threat to them.

"If you say so," Ayane replied simply, passively believing his statement. She knew she had powers; that was why Orochimaru had her around…just the man never explained what she could do with them exactly. She wasn't naïve in terms of knowledge. She had been taught all the basics along with the basic training of being a shinobi, but he started to distance himself from her and suddenly order her contained without another word to her. She figured he had gotten bored with her, or he accomplished whatever he was aiming for with her. Whatever the case, he was dead and these people didn't seem all that bad, so she'll stick with them until they proved otherwise.

"I do," Sasuke said curtly, glaring down at her. "Because of those eyes, you were meant to be a weapon to Orochimaru…now you're my weapon and I plan to use you for our mission."

Naruto looked about ready to disagree, but a gently touch from Hinata stopped him, shaking her head sadly. She knew that Sasuke was playing it safe and they had no guarantee that Ayane could be a friend or potential foe. It was best to assume she was a potential threat, as they had with everyone they encountered all the Oto-bases, just to be on the safe side until they can truly determine if they could trust her. There was no telling what was planned for the girl, or who she was meant to kill, that could have been anyone as they were aware there was people in the world that could defeat the Snake Sannin, or even kill someone who had the potential to kill him if they were allowed the opportunity…such as them.

"If that's that you want to do with me, I guess that's okay…so long as I can see the world," Ayane said, the first bit of excitement shining in her eyes. "I've been underground all my life, if you promise I can see the entire world, I'll do what you ask of me."

Sasuke kept his gaze on her for a few moments, his Sharingan fully activating and boring them into hers in a show of dominance. She just started to smile up at him that oddly made him feel awkward. Grunting in satisfaction, he looked away and waved her off. "Good, if that's all you care for that we can do that easily as we'll no doubt be doing a lot of travelling to find our target."

Ayane shot her hand up somewhat in a child-like manner. "Oh! I have a question!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "What?"

"Umm, who are we targeting?" Ayane asked.

Naruto chuckled, as did Hinata, while Sasuke just groaned but then caught himself. It was reasonable that she would ask that, it showed she had some intelligence…even if she appeared childish in a cute way. He halted almost immediately, realizing what he just admitted to himself. He scoffed instantly. There was no time for that kind of behavior, it was bad enough that Naruto and Hinata would get so embarrassing when they had time together, he did not need to fall into that kind of situation, that time was still far from him, only after he accomplished his mission would he allow himself to even entertain such thoughts.

Then again, as he looked once more at this new girl, he almost thought it would be tempting to think like that. Berating himself, he scoffed off and walked back to their map, wanting to get back to work before he spoke up.

"We're targeting a man that was responsible for the death of my entire family…my brother."

Naruto smiled widely and crotched down next to Ayane. "Wow, teme likes you, that's a good sign."

"Oh? How can you tell that?" Ayane asked.

"Because usually he doesn't talk that much to anyone or give that long of an explanation," Naruto replied, ignoring the glare that instantly came his way from the Uchiha. Naruto replied with sticking his tongue out at him.

"Don't let their behavior fool you, they're really not a pair of bakas," Hinata giggled, which grew as her boyfriend gave her a defeated look and Sasuke just humphed in annoyance.

"I'll take your word for it," Ayane replied simply and started to examining the cave again and soon the waterfall hiding the cave entrance. "Is the world behind that water?"

"Once we've determined where to begin our search, we will be heading out there," Sasuke said, "For now we're still in enemy territory and I don't waste my time with weaklings."

Ayane just shrugged at the reasoning and let her eyes settle on the waterfall, watching it excitedly.

Hinata touched her shoulder and patted it. "It won't be real long. You'll get to see the world very soon."

"I can't wait…I want to see everything," Ayane whispered, never wavering her eyes from the waterfall as her new companions worked out whatever details they needed. She didn't care about the location; anywhere would do, just so long as it was something new. She wanted to meet the world.

_**))))))))))**_

Not too far from the destroyed Oto-base, a pair of individuals both wearing black coats with red clouds decorating them, leaping from tree to tree to the area huge amounts of smoke was raising. One wore an orange mask with only one eye hole in it, with it swirling over the whole mask. The other had very long platinum-blonde hair tied in a ponytail with a device strapped over his left eye like an eye-patch.

"Did you hear that explosion, Tobi! Come on, move faster! I've got to see the splendor, the beauty it left behind!" the platinum-blonde said eagerly, a huge near-insane smile plastered over his face.

"Yes, yes! It was so loud it scared me! I think I need to change my underwear, Deidara-sempai!" the orange-masked man stated.

The one known as Deidara rolled his eyes in great irritation. "Keep those kind of statements to yourself, you baka!"

"Sorry, Deidara-sempai," Tobi grieved, rubbing the back of his head in shame….right before missing the branch he had aimed for, resulting in the branch slamming squarely in the middle of his torso. "Ooooffff!"

Deidara stopped on a branch and groaned before waving his fists angrily at the masked buffoon. "Gah! How in the hell did Pein-san agree to let a retard like you into our organization?"

"Sorry, Deidara-sempai," Tobi moaned through pained lungs, trying his hardest to not fall to his death, but inwardly was chuckling at his act. _'I have to admit it's fun getting under his skin with this stupid persona…but how great it will be when it's no longer needed. Oh well, must keep up appearances until the time is right…'_

The platinum-blonde leapt over to Tobi and grabbed his coat and hoisted him back up on the branch, then slapped the back of his head. "Let's keep going already! I want to see the flames before they all die and I lose what inspiration I could gain from the art of the carnage!"

"Okay!" Tobi cheered, shooting his arms up over his head and started leaping in a childish run through the trees. "Wwwwweeee! I wanna see the burning bodies!"

"Gah! That moron is twice as annoying as Sasori…Why did that guy have to be so stupid and get killed by an old hag and that loud, uppity Leaf bitch!" Deidara moaned loudly, and then continued his trek after his crazy partner.

When they arrived on the scene, all of Deidara's stress vanished in an instant as he used the device on his eye-patch to scan and take recordings of the ruined Oto-base.

"This is marvelous! A true work of art! Oh, the ones who did this truly knew how to make a real bang! Truly, Kami has blessed me with such wonderful art!" Deidara said in fanatic admiration over the destroyed remains. "Even you can appreciate this, Tobi!"

"Oh, yes! I do, Deidara-sempai!" Tobi nodded his head vigorously, yet his head as turned away from the happy blonde.

Tobi quiet left his partner and slipped away as he spotted something just a few feet away. Curious, he went over to a crevice and poked his head right down inside to inspect the interior, and then his whole body stiffened in alarm. Instantly, the fell into the hole, flipping gracefully to land on his feet and ran to the destroyed containment unit in the center of the room.

"Orochimaru? What did you do in here?" Tobi wondered out loud, examining the scene for any clues as to what or who the unit may have held. "…I wonder." He studied the unit and the room some more until he noticed the broken path of glass shards just a few inches away from his own feet. "I didn't step here…" He looked around and finally realized that someone had left here, but there was no blood on the shards, knowing the sick Sannin usually left his victims in rags and never keep any footwear when he was performing his sick experiments on them. This only concluded that someone else had come in here and got whatever was locked away in this laboratory. "Hmm, I think I've been too nice in letting you live your slimy snake! Well, whatever you did here won't matter in the end. Like everything you do, it's doomed to fail, but just to be safe, I think I better have you and your colleagues dealt with, and take the Nine-Tails for myself now." From the depths of his eye hole, a red eye shined before it began to spin…


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or Dead or Alive. This fanfiction is for the enjoyment of whoever wishes to read.

**A/N: **

**xXx**

**Chapter 2**

Ayane was running around excitedly after they left the cave. She relished in the warm feeling the sunlight gave and forsaking the sandals that Hinata had given her, to run barefooted on the grass and up the crisp back of the trees. It took a few reminders from her new companions to stay in the group, as she tended to just forget where she was going and wander off. Sasuke found his patience was thinning with her, but Naruto kept reminding him that the girl hadn't been outside in years, so it was natural she would be so curious and want to explore. Hinata soon took it upon herself to stay close to the girl, prodding her kindly when she started separating from them again.

They hadn't picked a true destination yet, even after studying the map for so long. Naruto had foreseen that Ayane's curious nature would be a problem for them if they tried to go to anywhere directly. He advised it would be best to let her explore some of the terrain, get her fill and that impulse out of her system, and then they could move more efficiently for real. It irked Sasuke, who wanted to begin his search for his traitorous brother and finally exact his vengeance, but the dobe had proven smarter since they abandoned Konoha. He had a better understanding of human nature to the point it was almost scary. He knew how to read someone and how they'll act giving a situation. This gave the blonde a great tactical advantage and one that even Orochimaru had been wary off after he started showing this ability.

Really the now dead Sannin had only himself to blame. He thought it would be the perfect irony if he messed with the blonde's DNA. From what Sasuke understood of the experiments he did to Naruto, he infused genetic material into Naruto that belonged to the Fourth Hokage. His body had luckily taken to the infusions wonderfully and there weren't any side-effects beyond massive migraines after the procedure was done. Since then, Naruto's features enhanced so much he almost looked exactly like the Fourth Hokage as his face sharpened and matured and his body took on a more lean appearance than the slight bulker frame that was predicted. But it was his mind that had benefited the most. The infusion had blessed Naruto with the same intellect as the Fourth Hokage and showed remarkable promise when he took up Fuinjutsu. These changes forever altered the once hyperactive, loudmouth knucklehead he was forced to put up with.

Seeing that Naruto had taken so well to the procedure, Kabuto had pleaded they should infuse the genes with more subjects to gain the same results. Strangely, Orochimaru denied it and said the experiment would only work on Naruto due to his unique physiology. Sasuke believed he meant because of the Kyuubi's influence on Naruto's healing factor, and only another Jinchuuriki could survive the process as well as Naruto did.

That didn't deter Kabuto, though. He suggested that since they could infuse the DNA of one Hokage, he decided to run his own experiment on Hinata…

He did this after Naruto and Sasuke had been sent on an errand for Orochimaru and convinced the Hyuga that she was ordered by Orochimaru to participate in an experiment. Knowing she had no choice, she willingly accepted and Kabuto began his twisted operation. Since they have had bad results with the First Hokage's DNA, he thought to try the Second's to see if they could overcome whatever was keeping the DNA from bonding to a new host. Hinata had not taken too well after he was done with her, and to all of them, it looked like she would die just like all the others, but then her vital readings began to change and her body started to accept the Second's DNA and she began to regain her health.

It was in that incident that Orochimaru was forced to abandon that particular hidden base as when Naruto had learned what Kabuto had done, he had gone on a rampage and sought to kill the twisted lackey. It took much of Orochimaru's power to weaken him enough to subdue him, and forced to restrain him until he was rational again and promised not to kill Kabuto. That animosity was still there between Naruto and Kabuto, but the blonde had shown great restrain from making him pay for what he did to his girlfriend for her sake.

Although it was a nightmare for her, Hinata had only gained more than loss from the experiment and thanks to it now possessed a great affinity over water-based jutsus and mastered it to levels that were lost when the Second Hokage passed away.

Sasuke now had to wonder if Orochimaru did something similar to Ayane and if so…whose power did she harbor? Plainly, it was an Uchiha but he had to wonder just which of his clansmen the snake had managed to get his slimy fingers on obtain the DNA, and exactly how he had harvested it. Did he somehow steal some when Itachi had killed his clan…or did he somehow get a hold of Itachi's? Or were they his own?

Sasuke growled under his breath a curse to the dead madman, wishing he could get the answers that had begun plaguing his mind since the discovery.

Said girl was hoping and laughing happily as she tore through the branches and jumped as high as she could, having such strength in her legs that she cleared over the treetops and almost looked like she was flying through the air. The carefree nature she displayed as she hopped through the forest had brightened his teammates up, a sight Sasuke hardly saw anymore. Even he was smirking up at the girl as she flipped wildly around in the air until she started to return to the earth. He had to admit that she looked like she belonged up in the sky, like a bird…or maybe an angel.

Sasuke caught himself and was amazed at what he just thought. It must be the fresh air. He usually stayed in whatever base they were hidden in when Orochimaru moved, only going outside when it was too dangerous to train inside. Hinata spent more of her time up top as she had to work on her water affinity and needed to practice by nearby lakes or rivers. Naruto, naturally joined her, as he did not like the idea of her being alone with any of Orochimaru's people after what Kabuto did. He wasn't worried that she was weak enough to defend herself, it was just that he cared so much for her that he couldn't stand seeing her hurt at all.

He imagined that if anything happened to him, Naruto would be right there to help him out, but Sasuke did not fear anyone could really challenge him, not now that he had absorbed the Sannin's power. He did not have anything to fear anymore…all he needed was power…

"Wwahh!" Ayane screamed, snapping Sasuke back to reality.

He looked up sharply and saw that Ayane had misjudged her last leap and was going to miss the branch she had aimed for. Sasuke darted out front in a blink of an eye and was on the branch just as she was about to pass it. He grabbed hold of her waist and pulled her close to him when she was in range.

"…T-That was a bit too close," Ayane sighed as she clamped her hands on Sasuke's arm.

"I think you've had enough time to explore. We need to get back to the mission at hand," Sasuke dictated to her sternly.

She looked up over her head and smiled innocently. "Sure! You've been really kind. I'm ready to do my bit!"

Sasuke found his face heating up as she looked up, realizing just how close her forehead was to his lips. He could almost kiss it if he extended his lips enough. He jerked his head away and cleared his throat, pretending something had gotten caught in it so he could hide the instant blush that spread across his face.

From behind him, Hinata was smirking knowingly and hugged her boyfriend's arm. "I think Sasuke's got more than he bargained for with her."

"Dattebayo," Naruto smiled at her and patted her hand.

They quickly hid their mirth when Sasuke looked at them with a clueless expression. Naruto just flashed him a grin and jerked his thumb to the west. "Let's split up from here, Sasuke. You take Ayane with you and scout on ahead. We'll backtrack some and then work our way to that village we came across, see if we can get any clues to where your brother might be."

"Why don't you two take Ayane with you?" Sasuke replied sharply.

"Because it might be too early yet for Ayane to be in a town full of people, giving her limited experience around others. Plus, she's got the sharingan. This would be a good time for you to see how good she is with it," Naruto answered right away.

Sasuke knew what Naruto was really referring to. If Ayane turned out to be dangerous, then he could easily combat her Sharingan with his own and could deal with her without alerting people of their presence. They had too many people looking for them and now that they had gone rogue from Oto, they had to keep a low profile. Oto wouldn't be a threat now that Orochimaru was gone, and it would take time in the confusion for someone to try and take his place. More than likely it would be Kabuto if he survived the base's destruction. That would take time. Konoha was their bigger issue as they had no doubts in their minds that their old village was still trying to hunt them down. Kumo might be a problem if they learned the Hyuga's heiress was up for grabs now that she was a missing-nin, assuming they were still bitter and wanted to obtain the Byakugan.

Suna would be the same case as Konoha as the two were now stronger allies after Orochimaru played the Sand Village like a puppet, so no doubt there would be much bitterness toward them for allying with Oto. The other villages would mind their own business for the time being. The real threat to them was the organization Itachi worked for: Akatsuki. Oddly, this was the group they _wanted_ attention from. It was well known to them that they were after the Bijuu as Orochimaru took every precaution to keep Naruto's presence hidden as he did with Sasuke and Hinata. He was an evil genius and a heartless monster, but he did not take risks and told Naruto the real danger that he was in with the group, unlike what his former home would have done. If they kept true to Sarutobi's wishes, Naruto would remain ignorant to his real enemies and just remain dependent on them for protection from his 'unknown' threats.

In a way, Naruto had grown to have some respect for Orochimaru, but it was the same kind one would have for a poisonous snake. The man was truly a talented genius and pushed them all in a way no one in Konoha would have tried, because of their personal ideals which would only have limited their growth as shinobi in the long run. It was only with slight regret that the man had to die.

"Fine, I'll take the girl with me. The two of you look for what you can..." Sasuke conceded, then added one more then. "…Don't waste a lot of time in a hotel. I want to find that bastard as fast as I can."

The two lovers blushed deep red as they averted their eyes away from each other.

"We…We weren't!"

"Yeah, right. You had a good argument but I know that was also so you two could get some alone time," Sasuke grunted, smirking inwardly.

They both sighed and gave him a humbled apology.

"Guess you know us too well," Naruto replied, then gave the Uchiha a foxy grin. "You realize that goes for you, too, though, right?"

Now it was Sasuke's turn to be embarrassed. "W-What are you about?"

"You're gonna be alone with the new girl. Who knows what happens when we live," Naruto said suggestively.

Sasuke shot him a glare. "Unless you, I know how to keep it in my pants."

"Then why are you still hugging her so close to him?" Naruto retorted as his eyes drifted down to Ayane's waist.

Sasuke jerked his head down to see Ayane's smiling face still looking up at him and noticed how firm her had her body pressed against his. Panic flashed through his face when he also noted just how close his hands were to her chest. Reacting desperately, he let go of her and quickly put some distance between himself and her. His face was burning hot with embarrassment. Ayane let out a yelp when she fell down on her rear with a confused expression.

Sasuke's temper rose when he heard the couple start giggling at his expense. "Get…going!"

"Hai!" the couple said while still snickering at him and then shushined away when Sasuke started reaching for his sword.

"Baka…the both of them," Sasuke snarled under his breath and halted his hand.

Ayane found the situation humorous but refrained from laughing after seeing Sasuke's response to it from his teammates. She picked herself up and straightened her clothes and smiled at him patiently. "Ready to go, Sasuke-sensei?"

"S-Sensei?"


End file.
